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<title>Latest Language Articles</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/</link>
<description>Articles at Populate.NET</description>
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<title>How You Can Learn From an Audio English Course</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/how-you-can-learn-from-an-audio-english-course.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/how-you-can-learn-from-an-audio-english-course.html</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ You can learn a great deal about how to speak the English language by taking an audio English course. Such courses are free online and allow you to study at your own pace and at home. You do need to have an Internet connection as well as the Macromedia Flash Player installed on your computer. If you don't have this player installed, you can download it free through the site you use for learning English online.

The basic courses in English through an audio course start off with simple topics such as making introductions and formal and informal greetings. These topics prepare you for what you should say when you first meet an English speaking person. It will also take you through topics such as how to pronounce names, how to have a conversation about your family, your occupation and your favourite things to do. 

In each part of an audio course, you listen to a conversation. You also have the option of reading the script of the passage on the computer screen. This is advisable when you first start so that you can read along with the speaker. Since the speaker s native tongue is English you do get the correct pronunciation of the words. There is a difference in the ways the words are pronounced in Britain and in the US, so you can look for the correct audio course for the country that you intend to visit or work in so that you do learn how to pronounce the words according to the customs of the country, but this is not a necessity.

After you listen to the passage, which you can do as many times as you wish, then the exercises on that passage consist of multiple choice questions designed to tell you how well you understood the passage. These include such questions as where the speakers are when they speak and what responses they give to certain questions. After you finish the exercises, you can receive immediate feedback in the form of a grade. 

It is quite common to make mistakes in answering the questions at any time during the audio course and you should accept this as a normal part of learning. Think back to your own school days when you were learning your own language. It is highly unlikely that you got all the answers correct every time and the same thing applies to learning English.

Once you feel comfortable that you understand the concept of each lesson in the audio course, you can move on to the next one. However, there is another way in which you can learn from taking such a course online. You can use it to improve your own pronunciation of English words. You may be able to recognize them when you hear them and understand what they mean, but are you able to read the passage so that you can be understood as well? You should try reading the passages on the screen, record yourself while doing so and then listen to your own speech to compare it with that of the native speaker in the course. This will tell you how well you are progressing in this area. ]]></description>
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<title>The Elegance Of The Japanese Alphabet</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/the-elegance-of-the-japanese-alphabet.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/the-elegance-of-the-japanese-alphabet.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ The Japanese Alphabet is an elegant system of writing that consists of two main scripts known as the Hiragana and Katakana alphabets. 

It's these two writing scripts that comprise the some 100 kana characters that are used to write and pronounce every sound in the Japanese language. Learning the alphabet has always been a difficult task for new students, as the characters often bare little if any resemblance to one another. 

One of the best strategies that people use to learn the kana is to associated mnemonics with each of the hiragana and katakana Japanese alphabet characters. An example would be examining the character 'tsu' and associating it with a tsunami wave. The character resembles a wave that is curved. Since anyone can associate a tsunami with a wave, all we need to take is the 'tsu' sound, and think of 'tsunami'. 

Through a mnemonic technique such as this we're able to memorise a character that we perhaps normally wouldn't be able to. We can do this for a number of other characters, however it's often the 'tsu' character that poses many problems for new students of the Japanese alphabet.

As ones studies of the Japanese language progress, the other writing system or alphabet known as the kanji is learnt. This system of writing is quite complex as it consists of many thousands of characters, and thus a mastery of it would involve a mastery of Japanese itself. New students however will find the kanji to be quite daunting, and so the kana is the preferred system of writing, as it is used by the Japanese each and every day, and is also easier to learn than the kanji.

The kana is divided into both the hiragana and katakana alphabets. The hiragana is used by Japanese for native words whilst the katakana is more frequently used for foreign words and foreign names. A native Japanese person will typically write their name in the hiragana alphabet, whilst a foreigner will usually write their name in katakana.

There are a number of changes that can take place with the Japanese alphabet characters, such as the dakuten and handakuten. These modifications typically result in different sounds and meanings of characters. One thing is for certain is that learning the kana becomes easier the more you associate mnemonics with each character. In time, learning both the alphabets will become an easy task that you can easily fulfill. ]]></description>
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<title>Here's 4 Criteria To Become A Professional Translator</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/here-s-4-criteria-to-become-a-professional-translator.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/here-s-4-criteria-to-become-a-professional-translator.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Due to globalization, more businesses are expanding into overseas markets. Some markets such as China and Thailand are non-English speaking countries. Therefore, the need for professional translation service is at the highest demand than ever. These businesses will need to translate their professional business documents such as business and marketing plans to the native language. And as a professional translator, you can definitely make money from them.

If you wish to be a translator, you need to know foreign languages well. Other than knowing various foreign languages, you still need to possess the skill to make the right analysis of the meaning of the target language. Therefore, someone who only knows many foreign languages may not be a good translator. Additionally, it will be good if you are a native speaker of the target language as you will tend to understand more about the dialect and culture of the way they speak. 

If your dream is to become a professional translator, this article can help you in your quest. Let me share with you 4 criteria that you need to fulfil first before you can become a professional translator:

1.	Must know how to read and speak different languages. Knowing how to read and speak different languages is a must if you want to become a translator. If you cannot read foreign languages, there is no way you will be able to translate one language to another accurately. To pick up other languages, you can start attending language classes or reading useful sources such as bilingual dictionaries.  

2.	Must know how to write well. In order to be a translator, you need to write well. Copywriting skill is something that you cannot afford not to have. When it comes to copywriting, there are different styles of writing based on the type of language that you are writing for. Also, do take note on the punctuation and paragraphing. Proper punctuation and paragraphing will increase the readability and value of the translated materials. 

3.	Be a good listener. When you are listening to what your client is saying, you need to grasp key notes and specific vocabulary in order to translate a speech accurately. With regular exercises, this skill can be developed over time. 

4.	Get yourself bilingual dictionaries and utilize them. A bilingual dictionary is a great resource for you to master foreign languages. Do not just leave them on your book shelf. Utilise them and take action. Take note and practise speaking. With more practice, the better you will become. 

These are the 4 criteria you must have in order to become a professional translator. Do remember that a good translator is not born overnight. A translator is good because of the amount of hard work and due diligence he or she has put in. ]]></description>
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<title>Understanding the Concept of Indirect Questions</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/understanding-the-concept-of-indirect-questions.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/understanding-the-concept-of-indirect-questions.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ There are several ways of asking a question in English and this sometimes poses a problem for those learning English as a second language. You can ask a direct question, such as that do you want? which is easy enough to understand. Indirect questions, on the other hand, use other words to ask the question and may even seem like two questions in one.  The reason that some people have difficulty with this concept is that the word order in the sentence is the same as if you were making an affirmative statement. Some examples of such questions are:

- Can you tell me how to do this?

- I wonder what she is doing.

The direct questions for both of these would be:

- How do I do this?

- What is she doing?

There are rules for making questions indirect according to the verb you use. If you are using the verbs do, did or does, you leave out these words in the indirect question. In this way the direct question then do you arrive becomes an you tell when you arrive? If you use a form of the verb to do in asking the question you would not be using correct English grammar in some cases. If you ask a question about when the flight is supposed to arrive for example, you would not say a ould you tell me when the flight does arrive? Instead you would say a an you tell me when the flight arrives?

In questions that require a yes or no answer, you use the words for ther in asking the question indirectly. For example if you want to ask someone if they have seen your dog, you would ask a ould you tell me if you have seen a small black dog? 

When you take an online course to help you learn English this concept is fully covered in the course. However, it is not something that you have to be concerned about early in the course as it is part of the more advanced upper intermediate course. By this time you will have a good command of the English language making it easier for you to grasp the instructional part of the lesson.

Basically, this way of asking a question is very formal and polite.  It begins with a polite expression and the subject and verb are not inverted as they are in a direct question.  You will learn that some of these questions are not questions as such and are more like statements. 

When you feel that you do understand the instruction, you can move on to the grammar exercises and finally the quiz on this lesson. If you make mistakes, you can review the instruction and redo the exercises and quiz until you are sure you have a complete grasp of this manner of asking questions in English. You can then listen to many different passages to find examples of how the speaker uses this form of questioning and look for them in the material that you read in English. ]]></description>
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<title>Prepositions of Place are an Easy Concept in English</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/prepositions-of-place-are-an-easy-concept-in-english.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/prepositions-of-place-are-an-easy-concept-in-english.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Learning how to use and determine prepositions of place in a sentence is one of the starting lessons in taking English courses online. The dialogues used to introduce the lesson all consist of short conversations in which you also learn how to ask for and give directions in English. At the end of the dialogue, you will also see a list of key English vocabulary that you will learn in this lesson. As you listen to the introductory dialogue, you can also read the words on the computer screen so that you understand what the speaker is saying.

In this beginning lesson, you will receive a basic introduction to the use of prepositions in the English language.  The most commonly used prepositions to denote place are:

- on

- in

- under

- next to

- in front of

- at

- beside 

-between

These words show where something is in relation to another object or person. When you learn this concept in an online course there are also pictures to show you the meaning of the words, such as the word inder placed beneath an object.

The instruction then focuses on specific place prepositions so that you know when you should use each one. In for example, is always used to show that a person or object is enclosed within something, such as the desks are in the classroom. It can also be used to denote geographical locations, such as saying that you live in a particular city or that a city is in a certain country.

In always refers to the surface. If you say the book is on the table this means that the book is laid on the surface of the table. It on the other hand refers to a particular point or place, such as it a meeting? These two prepositions often cause the most problems for students of English as a second language because they are so similar in meaning, yet they are used differently in sentences.

The exercises you complete as part of this lesson involve choosing the correct preposition to complete a sentence. They focus on the words mainly because these are the tricky ones. Once you understand what the prepositions mean you can easily use them in sentences and understand their meaning when you hear or read them.

Another part of the grammar exercises involves sentences in which the words are not placed in the correct order. You are required to write the sentences in the proper order and to insert the capital letters and punctuation where they are needed. This type of exercise will not only give you practice in using place prepositions, but will review what you have learned in earlier lessons. This is also a way for you to have fun while you are learning English. When you feel comfortable that you do understand the concept, you can take the quiz on the lesson to see how well you do. Don't get disappointed if you make a mistake because making mistakes is an important part of learning. ]]></description>
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<title>Would You Like To Publish An E-book In Another Language?</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/would-you-like-to-publish-an-e-book-in-another-language.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/would-you-like-to-publish-an-e-book-in-another-language.html</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ I don't think it even dawns on most people the amount of languages available out in the world, some of them are well-known like French, German and Spanish whereas others still hold a huge population but are lesser known such as Finnish, Dari, Haitian, Lithuanian, and Bosnian. When introducing an e-book or other type of content it would be in your best interest as a writer to not only distribute people in your language but in others as well. There are a few simple ways to tell which languages you should translate the e-book into, the easiest way is of you already have a website. If you have a website you could just as easily log into your Cpanel and take a look at the different countries visiting your website. 

If you have a lot of people visiting you from the US, then make an English version, if you have a lot of people visiting you from France, then make a French version and so on and so forth. You really don't realize the power you have in your cpanel until you use it!

So now on to the e-book languages, what if your English and you don't know how to write in French, Dutch, German or Italian? Well you could just as well try a free translation service but from my vast experience with those sites, you will only end up screwing your content up in the end. I'm not even sure the main purpose of those sites, my only guess is that they are used for entertainment purposes only because translating is not one of their higher specialties! 

Instead, what I would suggest would be to visit a few paid inclusion translation agencies which specialize in this type of content. Translation agencies are business that are made up of interpreters and translators that can translate English into any language as well as inter-language problems like German into Spanish or French into Chinese. They are absolute professionals in what they do, and its one of the reasons sites such as these are so popular. You can't really put guess work into translating into another language unless you personally know someone that speaks the same language you want to publish in, and they speak it, read it, write it perfectly!

I don't know about you but, I do have a few friends that do speak certain languages, however they're not any of the languages I would have an e-book translated into because they're not any of the languages the people who visit my site speak. With translation agencies, you take out all the guess work, and the stress of not knowing whether the site does a good job or not. 

Simply email them and let them know what you are interested in them doing, also let them know the different languages and inter-languages (if any), they will then email you back with a free quote, and if you decide to go with them they will take your e-book and translate it into all of the languages you specified, then they will send the e-book back to you in whatever form you choose (even pdf)! ]]></description>
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<title>Why Would You Need A Translation Service Provider For Your Website?</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/why-would-you-need-a-translation-service-provider-for-your-website.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/why-would-you-need-a-translation-service-provider-for-your-website.html</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ When you really sit down and think about it, there are over 1,400,000,000 people around the world who have access to the Internet and not all of these people speak English or French or German. Some of them may speak Portuguese, Japanese or Italian. When these people visit sites online I would think they would almost expect the sites to be customized so that they can read the site in their preferred language. In some cases, as a person that speaks mainly English and broken French, I have gone to sites before where the only language available was one in which I did not speak, so I know how frustrating this can be! For those of you who still don't know what I'm talking about, try going to a few websites today and have a look at the top of the page, there will usually be a few different languages available such as English, German, Italian, French and Dutch. 

Now, if you click these languages, the page will either automatically turn into that language or a new page will open with whatever language you chose as the main language for the web page.

Ultimately if your website does not "speak" to other people in their language, you could be losing out on some major business! Those of us that have access to stats in our cpanel really get to know who visits our websites and we should, as providers, make it our responsibility to try and make our websites as crafted as we can. For example, when I visit my website The Lemon Plum, I can see I get most of my visitors from North America, however, second place seems to be people from China, third place is people from Italy, and so on and so forth. 

Now back when I first started the site, I had no way of knowing that my foodie site would be so popular with other people across the border so this doesn't necessarily mean I have to have the translation service available right away, but what it does mean is that you should keep an eye on your stats, if you start getting people from other countries and it's a substantial amount, it's a good idea to go ahead and do something like this.

So what about when someone contacts you through a form or an email address? Obviously you speak English and the person who contacted you only speak French. In these cases the translation service provider can help you even further by providing a business to business service. Isn't this expensive? In most cases if you continue to use a service, they will most likely provide you with a business to business price. You will use them when needing translations done and they can count on you to use them for their service. 

In this case, they will probably provide some sort of a "special" for business to business services. You can also get a free quote which will allow you to write down a typical form of content you will need to be translated along with a few personal details about yourself such as name, email address and phone number, and they will send you a price quote on how much it would cost. It's all pretty simply and incredibly convenient for you as well as profitable. Just think, you could be missing out on a world of people all because you don't have the correct tools on your website! ]]></description>
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<title>What Is The Best Way To Learn Spanish?</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/what-is-the-best-way-to-learn-spanish.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/what-is-the-best-way-to-learn-spanish.html</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Always remember, if you are not interested in learning a particular language it will be much more difficult. Learning the new language might seem simple but if you have a lackadaisical attitude towards it, you are going to have a very hard time. 

When it comes to speaking Spanish there are many ways to learn how to speak it: for one, most colleges and universities offer Spanish language courses since they believe it is really helpful, which is true. Normally, adult classes are arranged for evenings so they can be carried out when most people have finished work for the day. To help further, most schools and colleges also organise courses during the summer breaks which can be easier for some people keen to learn quickly.

To make you able to speak Spanish, some companies also offer crash courses in the language where you could also get a job, as soon as you finish your learning. Aside from that, you'll see lots of dictionaries in bookshops that could really help you if you have no time to attend a class. You could also avail several self-help books, which contain Spanish phrases and sentences with simultaneous English translations written at the bottom. 

Free tutorials are there for you to take help from which are available on the net from Google and Yahoo. Fortunately, speaking Spanish is more about learning phonetically so it isn't just about reading books on the subject Thanks to the Internet, today web casts and pod casts can offer great help to you to listen to the language, and some sites are gracious enough to allow you to download it, so all you need to do is type and there you are!

Yet it is far simpler to learn a language if you listen to it so do not depend too much on books as there are plenty of materials for you to listen and watch, like songs, movies and tele-novels. Pictures would help, as well because you will remember the Spanish word more easily if you know what it looks like. 

If you have lots of money, go, travel and explore because there's no other fun and exciting way to learn a new language but to really experience it by interacting with the people who really speaks it. Be familiar with their habitat and culture and in no time, you would be speaking Spanish.

Just remember never to put too much pressure on your self, as it would only delay your learning process. If you visit a Spanish speaking country, you would very naturally pick up the finer nuances of the language and speak like the Spaniards. 

Do not be embarrassed when you make mistakes as you are expected to make some howlers but then, you are a beginner trying hard to grasp a language. Anyway, when making mistakes, you learn and you get to remember the correct way, so just enjoy the learning process, have much fun as you can and buena suerte! ]]></description>
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<title>What Are Translation Agencies For?</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/what-are-translation-agencies-for.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/what-are-translation-agencies-for.html</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ In the translation market these people specialize in solving communication problems where there are language and culture barriers. This includes all types of written and verbal communication such as French business card, a German brochure or a large-scale multilingual web site. These pieces of content and processes include things such as legal documents, technical manuals, patents, training materials, corporate brochures, newsletters, annual reports, product packaging, Internet sites and software localization. 

The translation services include typesetting, interpreting, voice talent and web page design. Really these agencies can be used from start to finish in any business, on any site, for any number of people. These business literally use any language you could think of including well-known languages like Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese as well as some other languages such as Bengali, Oromo, Fulfulde, Ido and Yoruba.

Obviously when using a translation service you want to find something you can pay for, the reason for this is that CATs (computer assisted translation) use only computerized processes. Whereas a real translation service uses real people such as translators and interpreters for all of their work! This is incredibly important when using a translation service for your business, the last thing you need is for the translation to not be correct, and this is exactly what you will get when using a free service! 

These people actually read the document, and translate it correctly. In the end, the only people you should be trusting with your content is that of a professional translation service who is accredited. This way you can make sure its done the right way instead of the wrong way.

So far I haven't run into this problem whilst running a business online, however, when I do I know I will use these paid inclusion services! Have you ever tried using a free service only to find out none of the content was translated correctly? Its horrid! It's a mish mash of jumbled words that no one could possibly read. Try it the next time you want a translation, use your language and the language you want it translated to and then revert it back to the original language so you can see the low quality you get! 

Take the guess work out of your translation requirements, next time you are in need of something like this use a professional service, get it done right, done quick and done in a high quality way. ]]></description>
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<title>Translation Services For Your Website</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/translation-services-for-your-website.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Culture_and_Society/Language/translation-services-for-your-website.html</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Is your site only in English? If it is, you could be missing out on a huge marketplace because around two-thirds of Internet users don't  speak  English as their  first language.   Communicate with millions of individuals around the globe! For numerous businesses most of the world is a tremendously large untouched marketplace. How huge? Consider that there are more than 200 million Internet users who speak French, Italian, German or Spanish. 

If you're a UK-based business, many of those prospective clients - people or businesses - are governed by the identical European Community ordinances and, if you require to deliver a product, progressively unified international postage stamp prices, and vastly simplified customs ordinances make it easy to do business with them. Even if you're selling from outside the EC, an interpreted site gives you access to one of the world's wealthiest markets for both business and consumer goods and services. And, of course, a Spanish version of your Internet site targets US Hispanics and some of South America.

Looking to the Far East, Japanese and Chinese Internet users account for another 200 million people all possible clients for your goods and services. Which markets could use your products or services? While photographs and design can hold some meaning, the words on your site is what really sells. They're the most mighty weapon systems in your online merchandising campaign. So you need to be sure you have translated substance that is at least equal in quality to your English website. 

You will require professional translation services from an agency that's capable of working with your kind of content. The great news is that this process probably costs less than you imagine to use high quality translation services. Many high ranking translation services are leveraging the benefits of the web and other technologies to reduce overheads and shrink the time taken to produce highly readable and effective translations, so they're affordable for even the smallest business organizations.

So how exactly do you get started with something like this? Is it easy? Is it hard? How do you know who is good and who isn't? Well in most cases as with everything else online you can find several reviews about different websites, so that would be one good way to go. Another way to go is to make the sure the site has some sort of an accreditation which shows you that the business you are dealing with or want to deal with has a level of competency, authority, or credibility. 

Meaning; it's not just some site that popped up yesterday and is acting like they know what they are doing, but rather it's a company that has been in business for a while and can be trusted as a high quality, professional service! Also, you can go to a few business forums and groups online and ask the members there who they have used, who they like and who they don't like.

And lastly make sure you take a good long look at their website and portfolio in my opinion if a site doesn't have any samples, or proof, then you probably need to move on. However, if they do have samples, you can go ahead and contact the company with whatever questions or concerns you may have. Be sure to select the agency with the highest standards because their words will be the public window in on your company in your new market. ]]></description>
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